Im a senior in high school right now and I live in maryland near the Baltimore area so i've been looking at schools that are atleast within 7-8 hours driving distance from my house. I've looked at: Univeristy of Maryland, Virgina Tech, Penn State University, and Penn State-Mt. Alto. they're all pretty nice and they're all within a 5 hours driving distance away from me. Mt. Alto is out though. I was wondering if anyone here goes to either Penn State University or Virginia Tech or any other schools in the Maryland, Penn, Virgina, West Virgina, Delaware areas? I want to either major in architecture and minor in business or double major in both. Is anyone on here an architect or currently studying architecture? I'm looking for some advice on which way to go, where to go, how to get in, other schools that may be near my area, etc....

any suggestions from any high schoolers searching, college attending students, or graduates would be very helpful.

thanks, i really appreciate it

 

I used to be an architecture major--not good enough with the math though. I'm on the other side of the country from you, but if you're up to a big move Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA is fantastic for Architecture. I spent a month up there during the summer of 2001 in an Architecture summer program--loved it. Arizona State is also good.

But that didn't answer your question You might consider taking tours of the schools you're interested in and talking to random students. Also, call some Architectural firms in your area and ask what schools have good reputations. Either way, good luck!

 

i had a friend who went to virginia tech and hated it, but she was from colorado, so being so far away from home had a lot to do with that. i love architecture and wanted to major in it for a while, but the only school near me is CU-boulder and from what i gathered, they emphasized artsy fartsy crap over function, and i'm completely the other way around. i would check out the websites of the various schools you're interested in and see if they offer architecture/architectural engineering and see what the pre-reqs are for first time college students coming out of high school. i can pretty much guarantee they will want you to have completed algebra 2 and calculus in high school. if you don't find any info on the websites, call up the department and ask to speak with an advisor. they should always be able to answer any questions you have about the program. and one bit of advice: if you get to school and find out your advisor is the world's biggest moron (like my first advisor), don't be afraid to request a new one. you'll be paying them to help you.

 

I currently attend Penn State Wilkes-Barre and I love it. 95% of people that went to U Park loved it, and you can't go wrong with a Penn State degree, they are very highly respected.

 

I don't really know much about the schools in question, being in St. Louis and all. All I can give is the knowledge of making a two year mistake. I didn't take a tour of any schools and I decided that the University of Missouri St. Louis was pretty much my only option. I've been there for two years, with no modivation to even go to class. I absolutely cannot stand being there. I went down and took a tour of the University of Missouri Columbia campus last week. I'm definately transfering there the first chance I get. I feel so much better about that place than I do about UMSL. Columbia was a pleasure to be at rather than the unbearable experiance that I'm in right now. Do your research and find a college that suits you best. Trust me.

 

yeah I've already visited the colleges I mentioned and I think that Penn State is really great. I feel as if i'd be comfortable there and as Chimera said, it really is a respected school which is a very nice plus. Maryland is o.k. and I wouldnt mind going there. my parents are kind of pushing me to go to UMD because of instate costs would be so much cheaper. The thing is though, UMD's architecture school really isnt to strong and well know. I'm hoping to be able to get grants and scholarships so I can go to a different school. I'm still have noidea where to go though. I think I might go check out Drexel university but I hear that it is an expensive school so there's probably a high chance of me not going there.

why do you hate going there se7en? For me location and size isnt that big of a deal I guess but i'm not sure how much of an impact it will be untill I really experiece it. Is there anything that you guys particularly hate about your school? I'm trying to get a better feel for how a college student might look at things. I know it's different for everybody but it might be able to give me some more things to look at other than size, location, etc...

thanks

 

I spent 2 1/2 years at Drexel, it will cost you roughtly $38-40k to attend there per YEAR. That's an entire Penn State education in 1 year. I didn't like Drexel, the professors were too busy with their research to really care about the students, the TAs handled most of the things you would go to a professor to ask. Many of my professors also made it very clear that in 10 years or so (that was 5-6 years ago) there would not be many jobs in the field I chose(Comp Eng). So that added to my decision of leaving Drexel. I really hated living next to one of Phillys many ghettos. The area Drexel is in isn't that nice, but the are without a doubt a HIGHLY respected school for engineering and architecture.

There have been studies done which show that for undergraduate education the school you choose does not make a noticable difference in getting a job, now for graduate education, it's all about which school you choose.

 

Im a senior in high school as well....I dont know if this is in your driving range but Penn Tech in Williamsport, PA is a really good college for that, I plan to go for Graphic Design...so you may want to check into that if you want...hope I helped!

 

I really hate alot of things about my school. For one, it really doesn't seem like a university, but rather a community college that's just a longer drive. The campus is just kind of there. At Columbia, the campus is the town. UMSL is fairly old and the classrooms haven't been renovated in a long time. I don't like where my tuition money is going. They spent a ton of money to build a pond and a fountain right next to a parking lot. It just seems like administration is more focused on aesthetics than educational value. Alot of my professors aren't available to answer my questions. During class, which is held in dimly lit rooms, the professors do nothing to keep me engaged in the lecture. If I don't know what's going on (mainly online classes) I have to literally pry information from the professors. Last but not least, I never know what grades I have in the classes until the end of the semester. Communication is horrible. This has been a two year and ten thousand dollar mistake for me. I'm just glad I'm realizing it now.

 

I went to Penn Tech for a months...don't wanna go there...PennState is great, but be assured you're gonna be busy with tons of work...I'm done with schoold for now with an associates from Manor Jr. College...the BEST place as far as people go and the school is so small that I've had classes like c++ with 3 people in them and professors are real engeneers and programers and business guys.